(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an objective for video disks and, more particularly to an objective for reading out the signals recorded on high-density information-recording disks (video disks).
(b) Description of the Prior Art
For objectives to be used in reproducing systems for video disks, it is required to warrant resolving power of 1.mu. due to the fact that the objective has to read out very small signals recorded with high density. Moreover, the information read out from the disk, which rotates at high speed, contains signals for making the objective follow up the recorded track and signals for automatic focusing in addition to image information. To make the objective read out those information and signals correctly, the flatness of image focused by the objective should be high. To prevent breakage of the video disk and objective which will be caused when the objective contacts the video disk, the working distance of the objective should be long. Besides, to perform automatic focusing, the objective should be compact and light in weight. Moreover, the price of the objective should be low.
As the light used for the objective for video disks is generally a monochromatic light (.lambda.=6328 A), it is effective for eliminating the noise at the time of amplifying the signals from a detector when transparency for the light of this wavelength is as high as possible. Therefore, to make transparency high, it is necessary to provide multi-layer anti-reflection coating on the lens surface or to make the number of lenses constituting the objective as small as possible. When this problem is considered in connection with the above-mentioned other requirements such as low price and light weight, it is more advantageous when the number of lenses constituting the objective is made as small as possible.
Though there are some known objectives for video disks which meet the above-mentioned requirements, they are not yet satisfactory enough in the following points. Generally, for the objectives for video disks, the working distance should be long enough for protecting the surface of video disk. However, for the known objectives for video disks, the working distances are 0.26f to 0.36f and these values are smaller than the required value. Besides, the objectives for video disks should be low in price. But, the known objectives for video disks are not satisfactorily low in price.